Sunday, June 27, 2010

Red Cake Plate Creation!

I just wanted to join in on Met Monday over at Between Naps on the Porch and Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage.  I am always so inspired by everything that everyone comes up with.  Last Saturday was by far the most amazing garage sale Saturday EVER!  It all started Friday afternoon, actually.  I went to a few sales and saw this cake plate for 50 cents.  I wanted it, but I was in a hurry, and didn't get it...but I thought about it all evening and regretted not grabbing it up!  The next morning I went back by there and it was still there!  It was meant for me!  :o)  I went to a church sale and bought several decorative urns/pedestal things for 10 cents each!  Amazing...I hatched a plan to make one of the beautiful serving plates that I've seen around!  Here is the process...

Two separate pieces...destined to be together!

I pulled his little feet off with pliars.

I used Gorilla Glue to glue them together and...
are you ready?

Painted the whole thing RED! 
(Please pardon the terrible photos, I dropped my camera and have been using an old lens...doesn't work too well!) 


Thanks so much for stopping by! 

Saturday, June 26, 2010

A New Look!

Hi.  I changed the template to my blog up just a little!  I love it!  I think it looks really fresh and pretty!  Here is a link to a whole wealth of blog inspiration: blog inspiration!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Blessings this morning...

This morning, the kids are still sleeping, I'm on my 2nd cup of coffee, and I'm just feeling blessed.  My mom and dad came over last night to go to Katie's softball game.  After the game, Katie and Mom and I made 4th of July t-shirts while Dad and Asher literally rolled all over the living room floor :o)  Asher started it and then Grandpa started rolling!  Just last year during Katie's softball season, my dad was just recovering from a major stroke, bleeding in his brain, and a blood clot...just amazing that he is still with us and can "roll around" with his little grandson...I feel so blessed and THANKFUL for this!  Later on I caught Asher and Dad comparing "boo-boo's" and kissing each other's ouchies!


Thank you Lord!  A friend on facebook lost her dad this week, he was only 67, I think.  She lost her mom a few years ago.  I can't imagine how that would hurt...especially with grandchildren.  I'm saying special prayers for her today.  I just feel really fortunate to have Mom and Dad and Joyce and Kenny still in our lives, for Katie and Asher to get to know each of them, for them to be able to laugh together, to play together, and snuggle together.  So very truly thankful for these things.

We had a showing last night.  My mom said she had a "feeling" that they would like it.   I think I just feel at peace with whatever God has planned.  I would LOVE to get an offer, but I am also content to just wait.  I know God has a plan (and it's a good one!)

I wanted to share some of my amazing garage sale scores from Saturday.


I just feel like God blessed me with all of these things...I got three decorative birdcages...a large one 20"x10"-ish $2 (which I already spray painted red and put out on the front porch! Ha!) and two smaller ones 14"x8"-ish $1 each, 6 flower frogs for $.10 each, a set of 3 wooden candlesticks for $.50, a pretty polkadot blouse for church for me $1, tons of clothes for Katie, priced from $.10-$.50 each...gap, old navy, a cute, cute skirt for church, some tween-ish tops that she really loved, a cake plate for $.50, a pedestal thing for $.10, a print with a cool frame that I am going to turn into a chalkboard for $.10, a ziploc bag full of colored chalk for $.10, a box full of vintage piping, quilt binding and trim, all still in packages for $1, and a box full of vintage buttons for $.50...completely amazing that there were so many wonderful treasures for very little money...a big blessing! 

Katie is a good garage saler!  She had fun and even bought Kris a yellow lab statue for father's day for $.25!  She's thrifty and thoughtful!  :o)

I think that's all for this morning, but I will update if we hear anything on the house!  :o)

Friday, June 18, 2010

God's Amazing Plans!

God’s Amazing Timeline for our Lives:


Leading Kris and I together, even though sin. Giving confirmation to us through street signs and sunflowers.

Giving us Katie, who was so beautiful and amazing, our first true look at what God can do!

The day that Kris found out about the vision center job and I found out about the case manager job in Indy.

The move to Indy was a direct (the most direct I’ve ever witnessed) reach of God’s arm to draw us to his side. He pulled us up from “the Pitt”, from our life of keeping up with the Jones, from “going to church most of the time” to “In-dependence on Him” through so many things, our new church family at Indy Naz, peers who lead us to deeper devotion, through so many things!

The struggles we had during the first year of living in Independence were also a way of God just reaching down, picking us up, holding us close to him, and comforting us. He comforted us through Katie’s hospitalizations with pneumonia, chest x-rays and testing for cystic fibrosis. He held us and provided for us while we paid the high rent and lived in the rental.

He was lovingly patient while we moved from Indy to Mound Valley, and kept us safe on the road each day. He gave us the relief from paying high rent with that move, and gave us a cute little home of our own.

He held us, comforted us, and got us through our miscarriage. He gave us strength to get through it, and gave us a child in Heaven to see someday.

He again was patient with our decision for Kris to work at the DC. He surrounded Kris with men of faith to work with, and lead him deeper into his faith. He let us sell the MV house, so that we could be closer to Kris’s work in Bartlesville.

He lead us to the calling of adopting Zac. He gave us wisdom of the Holy Spirit to discern that it might not have been the best decision, and helped Zac find a home where he was meant to be. He helped us love and appreciate Katie in an amazing way. Going through that was so difficult, but God had his hand in it…he was holding all of us, including Zac in his arms.

The entire time of moving to Caney, working at the dc, contemplating moving to Bartlesville, God still had the good and perfect plan for us to be in Independence. He drew us back to Independence, and provided Kris a job back in the store; he gave us our little rental home for a while. He protected Katie and I from carbon monoxide poisoning while there! He brought us here, to this home for a reason. He gave me Pam, to walk and talk with and lose a little bit of weight with, so that I could get pregnant and have our little Asher. We prayed for so long for another child, we cried and mourned the loss of our baby in Heaven and of Zac, but God had a plan to bring us Asher!

He has given me the opportunity to stay home with our children for a reason. He has given us so much. We just need to wait for his next answer, his next plan for us. I know his plans are best. We have learned that over the years of searching and moving and trying to plan things on our own. We know that HE LOVES US, and he wants what is best for us…so we will trust him…completely.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Trusting, waiting, dreaming...


Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Phil. 4:6-7


I'm trying to remind myself of these verses as I pray for our home to sell this morning.  I feel like I've been praying and petitioning God about moving to the country home forever...it's been 6 months.  I know there are reasons and plans beyond what I can see or imagine, but I'm so impatient.  I worry that Marilyn will get tired of waiting on us, and change her mind about letting us rent.  I worry that we are not going to be able to pay our mortgage much longer.  I worry that we haven't paid Katie's tuition in full for this past school year.  I worry about everything that needs to happen when we sell this house.  I know I am not supposed to worry, but I'm naturally a worrier, and it's an area of my spirit that I struggle with every.single.day.  Lord, please help me not worry.  Please help me put my TRUST in you.


I started a photo album on facebook called, "The Old Orchard Cottage"...I think that's what I am going to call our little home and my little "studio" out in the country.  When we were looking at the house, Marilyn told us there was an old orchard on the property, but she didn't think it produced fruit anymore.  Well, we have been watching little apples grow for the past month...they are beautiful!  There are at least three trees producing fruit!  We're so excited!  We have plans to prune in the fall and hopefully get the trees in better shape for the next time around. (I think they produce every other year?) Anyway, we're not spraying for worms or anything, so they will probably be pie apples, or apple butter, with the good parts of each apple.  So excited for living out there this fall.  There are so many things that we love about it out there, the sunsets are beyond amazing...just beautiful and completely wonderful, and all of the different trees and plants and bushes...so many things blooming and changing.  I just can't wait to sit on the porch in my PJ's and drink coffee while watching the sun come up over the trees.  I can't wait to watch the kids play in the yard, and not worry about them screeching with joy too loudly!  I can't wait to let the dogs run and explore and then fall asleep on the porch!  I can't wait for Kris and I to sit out on the porch swing under the stars after the kids have gone to bed!  I know it won't all be peachy and rosey, but there are so many things we are just really looking forward to!  Please pray with us that our home will sell soon!

Wednesday, June 09, 2010

VBS!

VBS is going really well!  We have had about 50 kids, hoping and praying for even more throughout the week!  Our pastor would like to have a baptism on Sunday for the kids who have said yes to Jesus!  :o) 

I told our realtor to be ready, because we were going to be selling the house *NEXT* week!  Praying that God has just been waiting for VBS to be over to get our move happening!

Katie and Asher have been having a blast at VBS.  They both really enjoy it, but we are all pretty tired each night so far!